


Positive Reinforcement

by katling



Series: Zer0 Sum Game [5]
Category: Borderlands
Genre: M/M, gender matters, positive reinforcement, slight non-malicious misgendering, that is corrected
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 10:15:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7357195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katling/pseuds/katling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So Anonymous over on tumblr asked for the fic I've been promising about Axton and Zer0 talking about Zer0's proper pronouns and gender and I’ve actually had the fic where I address this about 90% done for a while so this was a good prod and prompt to get it finished. I hope I didn’t mangle it too much. And since this is written from Axton’s POV, he starts out with the wrong pronouns for Zer0 then it morphs into the right ones once he knows because I wanted to follow through his headspace, if that makes sense.</p>
<p>So obviously this is Zer0 deciding it’s time to sort out this gender thing and then providing some positive reinforcement so that Axton will always get it right.</p>
<p>And it gets a little NSFW at the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Positive Reinforcement

Axton had never been so glad to see the Happy Pig motel as he was right now. Today had been great, fun even, but then a barf skag had, well, barfed all over him and now he was stuck in the back of the technical with everyone avoiding him like the plague. Even Zer0 and, man, that one hurt. A little. Because yeah, he knew he stank to high heaven right now but still… you’d think a guy’s fella would be willing to overlook a little smell.

Still, the Happy Pig meant rooms, real beds and maybe even a shower so he was happy enough to be there. And once in the room he was sharing with Zer0, he immediately began peeling off his jacket and the minimal body armour he wore. He placed the base for his turret on the table with much more in the way of gentleness then patted it fondly.

“Should I be jealous?/You’re very fond of that thing/Maybe more than me?”

Axton chuckled and turned around. “Zee, you definitely rank higher than my little lady.” He stretched upwards momentarily then looked towards the bathroom. “Do you think the water’s running? I reek.”

“If the toilets work/Then the showers should work too/Go get all cleaned up.”

Axton nodded. “Good point.” He stripped off his shirt then waggled his eyebrows at Zer0. “Wanna join me?”

Zer0 snorted then said dryly, “A head injury/Just what we need for today/The perfect ending.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Axton said with a laugh as he disappeared into the bathroom.

The water was indeed running and even better, it was warm. There was even one of those tiny little bars of soap and since he wasn’t the type to look a gift horse in the mouth, he didn’t even think about where it might have come from or how long it had been there. It was soap, it smelled alright and it got him clean.

When he finally emerged from the bathroom, towel around his waist, it was to find Zer0 standing next to the room’s small table. His lover had already taken off his gloves and jacket and was tapping the side of his helmet thoughtfully. He’d been like this all day so Axton wasn’t worried. Zer0 would tell him what was on his mind when he was ready. For now though, he didn’t seem to have noticed that Axton was there so he came up and wrapped his arm’s around Zer0’s waist and mouthed kisses along his shoulder.

“Hey, sexy,” the commando said.

The ///// appeared on their helmet almost without a second thought and Axton grinned. He loved it when he got that reaction from Zer0.

“Do you still smell bad?/It’s a consideration/For tonight’s events.”

Axton’s eyes widened. “Wait, you’re thinking of taking off your helmet? Here? Is that wise?”

Zer0 shrugged. “A few hours less/And more care must be taken/Yes, it can be done.”

Axton looked at them for a moment longer then he nodded. “Yeah, I am stink free now.”

“Good. I have a plan/Reciprocation is good/And I do owe you.”

Axton grinned. “You don’t really owe me, you know? There’s no owing people when it comes to sex.”

“Maybe that is so/But I do want to do this/I’ve thought about it,” Zer0 replied.

Axton sucked in a breath, feeling his cock twitch under his towel just at the thought of what Zer0 might be planning. “Holy hell, Zee. You’re going to kill me. Or make me a happy man. One of the two.”

Zer0 cocked his head curiously then he seemed to hesitate. Axton waited, wondering what was going through his lover’s mind, then the sniper turned away and began to fiddle with his helmet. Axton waited while he took the pieces off one by one and then he smiled when Zer0 turned back to him.

“Hey, there’s my gorgeous guy.”

He ran his fingers lightly over Zer0’s face, enjoying the way he shivered and leaned into the touches, tiny breathy moans escaping him. Okay, it was a little unfair of him to take advantage of this but damn if he didn’t like the way Zer0 reacted. But then Zer0 shook his head as though he was reminding himself of something. He drew in a sharp breath and pulled back. Axton let his hand drop.

“Everything okay, Zee?”

Zer0 looked hesitant for a moment. “I have a question/I think you will not make fun/I trust you that much.”

Axton manoeuvred them over to the bed and sprawled on it, still wearing only a towel. Zer0 joined him, stretching out next to him. Axton took that as a good sign that he hadn’t screwed things up. 

“Sure, Zee,” he said easily. “And I wouldn’t laugh since I’m guessing it’s something about humans.” Zer0 looked at him curiously again and Axton chuckled. “You only get this nervy when you’re about to ask a question about humans and you’re not sure if you’re treading on a taboo or something.”

“Too predictable/That is what I have become/No more mystery,” Zer0 said dryly.

Axton laughed. “You’re still plenty mysterious enough for me, Zee. So what’s your question?”

He tried not to frown when Zer0 shifted away a little bit and then immediately reversed his previous thoughts and began worrying about what he might have done. Had he offended Zer0 in some way? Done something stupid? He was really good at doing stupid things that caused relationships to crash and burn but Zer0 didn’t seem to mind his particular brand of stupid. Or he hadn’t in the past.

“You are male, correct?/And Maya is female, yes?/So, what does this mean?”

Axton blinked and stared at Zer0 for a moment. That hadn’t exactly been what he was expecting and for a moment the question didn’t compute. “What does it mean? Wait… your people don’t have male or female? Or gender at all?” Zer0 just looked confused and Axton waved a hand. “Wait. Stupid question. Um, it’s kind of complicated. Ages ago when humans were stuck on Earth, there was a really archaic definition of male and female based on genitals. If you had a dick, you were male. If you had a vagina, you were female. And that was that. It’s changed a lot since then though. I’m male because that’s how I identify. That’s who I am. So I use he and him and shit like that. It’s got nothing to do with the fact I have a dick. It’s… just who I am.”

Zer0 considered that for a moment. “You have two genders/That seems very strange really/What if you are none?”

“Well, some humans are agender and then there are those who are genderfluid. There’s a whole spectrum and that’s just gender. Get into sexuality and it’s even more varied,” Axton said then he smiled ruefully. “I’m not really the best person to explain this. I’m a go with the flow sort of guy. I’ve never really cared what genitals my partner has or what they identify as, as long as we both have fun and there’s sexytimes for all.” He grimaced. “But I didn’t ask with you. I’m sorry. I should have. I’m a doofus. Forgive me?”

“Don’t worry yourself/I didn’t realise myself/That’s why I asked now.” Zer0 caressed Axton’s face. “If I understand/Then agender would be right/And they and them too.”

“Cool,” Axton said, leaning into the caresses. “Smack me upside the head if I get it wrong again, yeah? That’s rude of me to do that.”

Zer0 laughed. “There are better ways/of reminding you than that/and I prefer them.”

Axton grinned. “I’m a sucker for positive reinforcement.” He sobered for a moment. “Hey, want me to tell the others?”

Zer0 considered that for a moment. “No, we’ll handle it/on a case by case basis/All very normal.”

“When have we ever been normal?” Axton asked before he snaked a hand around Zer0’s waist and reeled them in.

“There was a moment/Just five seconds of normal/Several weeks ago,” Zer0 said thoughtfully as their fingers flickered over Axton’s shoulders and started drifting down his chest.

Axton began to slowly grin as Zer0’s fingers honed in on the towel that was still wrapped, albeit loosely, around his waist. “I remember that,” he said. “It was boring.”

Amusement gleamed in Zer0’s eyes. “Axton, only you/could be bored in five seconds/You’re an idiot,” they said very dryly.

Zer0’s fingers had slid under the towel and Axton moaned as they gave a tweak to loosen it and then wrapped around his cock. 

“Fuck, Zee,” he moaned as he arched up into their touch. “I’m your idiot.”

“Yes, indeed you are/Mine and no one else’s, yes?/I wouldn’t like that.” 

Their hand hadn’t stopped moving and Axton bit on his lip as he tried to summon enough brain cells to respond. “Possessive. Hot.”

Zer0 leaned down and let their sharp teeth just barely scrape over one of Axton’s nipples. The commando yowled and arched up into the sudden sensation. 

Zer0 chuckled and, deciding to forego the haiku for once, whispered in Axton’s ear, “My pronouns?”

Their hand went very still and Axton groaned, bucking his hips to try and get more friction on his dick.

“Zee,” he gasped when the sniper evaded the movement. 

Zer0 chuckled but did nothing. Axton would have glared but he was trying to remember the question he’d just been asked. He’d been paying more attention to the hand on his dick than anything else.

“They! Them!” Axton suddenly yelled and Zer0 laughed and started slowly stroking Axton’s cock again. 

“Hmm, you may be right/positive reinforcement/does work rather well,” Zer0 said smugly. 

Axton growled and wrapped a hand around their neck, pulling them down into a filthy kiss. “I don’t know how you… ah! Oh, _fuck_ , yeah, like that.” Axton writhed for a moment as Zer0 did that little twisty thing with their fingers that he loved so much. “Make pronouns sexy but you do.”

Axton’s eyes actually crossed when Zer0’s fingers moved a little further south and he gave up on any pretense of taking things slowly. In a moment, he had Zer0 on their back and he grinned wildly at them. 

“You are very evil,” he said. “And I’m going to suck you off now, if that’s alright?”

Zer0 gave him a thumb’s up and Axton went to work.


End file.
